FAIRFIELD, Conn. — The Sacred Heart University women's soccer team is back in action this week, hosting the Bryant Bulldogs in a midweek matinee on Tuesday, September 3 before playing its first conference match of the season, taking on defending Metro Atlantic Conference Champions (MAAC) Quinnipiac on Saturday, September 7. Kickoff for Tuesday's contest at Park Ave Field is scheduled for 3 p.m. while Saturday's match is slated for noon at the Quinnipiac Soccer & Lacrosse Stadium. 
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Pioneers headed down to the Chesapeake Bay Area just over a week ago, taking on powerhouse squads in Navy and Georgetown, with the latter having been receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches DI Poll at that time. The Pioneers fought hard in the opening match of the weekend but could not muster a comeback to Navy, falling 5-3 on Thursday, August 22 before Casey Mulligan's 11-save performance kept the Pioneers within striking distance against Georgetown, but was not enough as the hosts took a 2-0 win over the Pios. 
 
Against Navy, the Pios found themselves down 3-0 as the hosts netted the first goal within five minutes, before tacking on two in quick succession to take a 3-0 lead into the halftime break. However, after a plethora of chances in the first half, the Pios found the back of the net as a tic-tac-toe play that started within the SHU defensive third led to a Morgan Bovardi chance inside the penalty area which the junior forward slotted into the netting. Navy had other plans instead of giving up its two-goal advantage, grabbing another pair of goals within two minutes to push its lead to four inside the hour mark. 
 
SHU continued to battle against the Midshipmen, eventually grabbing a stranglehold on the Mids in the attacking third as Lyndsey Laperle netted her first collegiate goal after a cross from first year Merina Parodo from the left flank found the right foot of Laperle who guided the ball past the Navy goalkeeper. Just over give minutes later, first year forward Rylee McGee brought the Pios to within two goals after earning a penalty kick in the 78^th minute, swiftly depositing a right-footed laser into the top left corner to make it 5-3 in favor of the Mids. With SHU threatening, Navy clamped down in its defensive third for the remainder of the match to ride out a 5-3 win. 
 
Against Georgetown, the Pios had their fair share of defending to do, battling for a full 90 minutes in the scorching sun of the nation's capital. The Red & White absorbed wave after wave of pressure within the first half, and each-time displayed resilience in negating all 12 shots – six of which forced starting goalkeeper Casey Mulligan into a save – to take the Hoyas into a scoreless draw after 45 minutes. 
 
Though the Pios held their own in the first half, the Hoyas struck the back of the net twice within the first six minutes of the second half to take a daunting two-goal lead. Keeping her role between the sticks, Mulligan made another handful of saves, ending her first collegiate start with an 11-save outing as the Pios fell, 2-0. 
 
ON BRYANT
Originally scheduled to play Sacred Heart last Thursday, Bryant (2-3) heads into Tuesday's affair on a two-game skid, falling to SHU's crosstown rival, Fairfield, 4-2 last Thursday before dropping a tight contest to fellow MAAC opponent Merrimack, 2-1. Having had the lead against both the Stags and the Warriors, the Bulldogs eventually gave up their lead in both matches, giving up three-consecutive goals to Fairfield and two-consecutive goals to Merrimack, dropping both road matches. 
 
The Bulldogs have had eight players record a goal this season with Jordyn Collins leading the way, bagging two goals through the first five games.  Collins shares the team lead in points senior Hailey Koons, with both having grabbed four points in the early portion of the season. Koons also shares the team lead in assists with junior Madison Luke, with both recording two assists so far. 
 
Andy Briggs leads the Bulldogs in his 10^th season with the program, leading Bryant to a 64-69-19 record in that time. Bryant was tabbed No. 7 in the American East Women's Soccer Preseason Poll, tied with UAlbany on 19 points. 
 
ON QUINNIPIAC
The Bobcats (1-2-1) head into the matchweek having gone 1-1 last weekend, avenging a 1-0 loss to Stonehill by dispatching the Great Danes of UAlbany, 3-0 in Hamden on Sunday, September 1. Having taken a 1-0 lead into the halftime break, Quinnipiac used two second-half goals to push the match out of reach en route to a 3-0 win. 
 
The reigning MAAC Champions are led in points by graduate forward Courtney Chocol who grabbed all three of her points in the 3-0 win over UAlbany by way of a goal and an assist. Quinnipiac has had four different players tally a goal through the first four games of the season, while Madison Alves leads the team in assists with two, grabbing one against the Great Danes and one in the season-opener against Hofstra. 
 
Dave Clarke leads the Bobcats in his 26^th season with QU, amassing a 214-186-44 record during his tenure. QU grabbed the No. 1 spot in the 2024 MAAC Preseason Poll, grabbing 10 of a possible 13 votes.   
 
SPREAD THE WEALTH
Through the first three matches of the season, the Pios have already had four players register a goal, including two players who grabbed their first collegiate goals. Shea Kelleher tallied SHU's first goal of the season with a looping right-footer in the rain against La Salle, while Bovardi, Laperle, and McGee tallied a goal in SHU's 5-3 defeat against Navy. Both Laperle's and McGee's second-half tallies were the first of their collegiate careers. 
 
The Pios currently have six players who have registered a point this season. Following the goal-scorers, Grace O'Hara registered an assist on a Bovardi goal, while Marina Parodo grabbed an assist on Laperle's goal, both of which came against the Midshipmen. 
 
GRACEful
Having grabbed an assist in the match against Navy, graduate forward Grace O'Hara currently sits two points away from tying the program record in points set by Paula Pineda (2000-03), having earned 60 so far in her illustrious career in the Red & White. 
 
O'Hara, who has potted 24 goals and accrued 12 assists in her career, also sits two goals back of tying Pineda, who tallied 26 in her career, while also needing three more assists to tie Alyssa Brandofino's (2010-13) record of 15. 
 
WAY TO BE LAPERLE
Sophomore striker Lyndsey Laperle netted her first collegiate goal in SHU's match against Navy, slotting home a bang-bang play inside the Midshipmen penalty area in the 72^nd minute as the Pios looked to form an eventually unsuccessful comeback against the Mids, falling 5-3.
 
Laperle, who also made her first collegiate start against the Mids, earned a career, single-game high three points in the Annapolis affair, grabbing a goal and assisting on Morgan Bovardi's first goal of the season which put the Pios on the board.
 
Laperle, who appeared in 16 matches last season, has made an appearance in each of SHU's first three matches in 2024. Having grabbed an assist in the 7-0 win over Delaware State last season, the Bow, N.H., native is already having a career season with three points in as many games and currently serves as the team leader in that regard. 
 
WE'LL HAVE ONE
Having shared time in goal with sophomore keeper Kyran Thievon, first year goalkeeper Casey Mulligan made her first collegiate start in the 2-0 loss against Georgetown on August 25, amassing 11 saves on 28 shots that made their way near her goal. 
 
Mulligan's 11-save outing was the most saves made by a SHU goalkeeper since Elyssa Kipperman (2019-2023) made 13 saves in the 2022 Northeast Conference Tournament (NEC) Tournament Final. Her 11-save outing set a career, single-game high in saves for the Connecticut native and was the most saves made by a SHU goalkeeper in their first career start in over a decade.